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Candidate FamiliesProps To Be Used

post from Texas Liberal on 05 September 2008 11:41:15 PM. © Texas Liberal

Sarah Palin gave an interview to People Magazine and allowed two of her children to be pictured on the cover of the magazine.But I thought the McCain campaign said the Palin family was off-limits. Except, of course, during Republican Convention week when the Palin children were seen by millions.The Obama campaign has also said family is off-limits. Except, of course, when [...]

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http://texasliberal.wordpress.com/2008/09/06/candidate-families-props-to-be-used/

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Four More Neoconservative Years

post from Crooks and Liars on 05 September 2008 11:33:16 PM. © Crooks and Liars

David Sanger at the NY Times is one of those top-level reporters who often willingly carries water for the Bush administration - promulgating “unofficially official” leaks, for instance - in order to preserve his precious access. It appears that he’s willing to do the same for the McCain campaign.Hidden from view during much of the [...]

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http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/05/four-more-neoconservative-years/

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Early Polling on Palin

post from Firedoglake on 05 September 2008 11:20:40 PM. © Firedoglake

With a 58% favorability rating, she's also now more popular than Obama or McCain (both at 57%) and Biden (48%).I stand by my assertion that anyone who watched her speech and concluded that she would not be a formidable opponent is engaging in wishful[...]

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http://cliffschecter.firedoglake.com/2008/09/05/early-polling-on-palin/

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Biden Rips McCain Speech

post from Daily Kos on 05 September 2008 11:20:40 PM. © Daily Kos

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/VR1A3r9FFVk/96898

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Late Night Music Club with Fleet Foxes

post from Crooks and Liars on 05 September 2008 11:00:31 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Fleet Foxes‘ “White Winter Hymnal” is simple, easy, harmonious. What more can one ask for?

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http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/05/late-night-music-club-with-fleet-foxes/

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Department of Book Reports: The Constitution of
the United States

post from Jesus' General on 05 September 2008 10:44:00 PM. © Jesus' General

Ok, it's not a book. But, with the political headiness of the past two weeks, I thought I would re-read the foundational document of our nation. Twice.

Of course, we could discuss the Constitution forever, and never really reach the depths. Heck, college courses devote whole quarters and semesters to it. Some famous political candidates have been known to lead these classes. But I want to point out a few of the features that struck me this time out.

First, the qualifications for holding the office of President of the United States are pretty clear-cut. Article II Section 5 tells us that the officeholder must be a naturalized United States citizen, be of at least 35 years of age, and a resident of the US for fourteen years. It says nothing about the race or the gender of that person. I'm not sure that the founding fathers ever thought that one day either a black man or a woman could or would hold that office; but other than politicians who are immigrants, it does not preclude much of anybody over the age of 35. Previous executive experience is not mentioned. Nor does there seem to be any bar if one is confused about world geography, nor does it grant experience credits to candidates who happen to govern states that are in close proximity to Russia.

The Constitution also has a remarkable system of checks and balances. One branch of government cannot run wily-nily over another. We have heard for years about activist judges, who legislate from the bench. Of course, that is usually said of liberal judges, who strike down laws as unconstitutional; Conservative judges, of course, would never overturn law. At the same time, you hardly ever hear of activist executives who legislate from the White House. It is also good to note that: 1. Only Congress can declare war (Article I Section 8 Clause 11); 2. The President appoints judges to the Supreme Court, but can only do so with the advice and consent of the Senate (Article II Section 2 Clause 2); 3. The President may veto any piece of legislation sent to him by Congress, which, in turn, can over-ride any veto with a two-thirds vote (Article I, Section 7 Clause 2). All pretty tight, it seems to me.

I know you all know the First amendment to the constitution. It bears re-reading: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or the press; or the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances". Now that is pretty straight-forward stuff.

Remarkably, and the thorn in the side of those Federalist Society members who hold that the Constitution is a "dead" document, without recourse to interpretation other than the intentions of the founders, is that pesky Article V that allows that changes can be made to the document with the consent of 2/3's of the state. (The Federalists have a couple of other problems as well. One would be what T.S. Eliot called the intentional fallacy; we can never know the intentions of these writers with any complete certainty. The other is the hermeneutical problem that their interpretation is yet another interpretation). Re-reading the document convinces me of it's vibrancy, and 'living' qualities. However, with a John McCain appointing justices, we may get saddled for many years with a bunch of these Federalist Society guys, and none of us may outlive that.

Lastly, the Preamble. It states, "We the People of the United States....". People is capitalized. It doesn't say, We, the propertied, white guys of the United States. It says People. This is Our document to love and cherish, and it is ours to lose if we don't set out to save it.

Feel free to discuss. The United States Constitution is available nearly anywhere. Check teh Googles. I read my copy in the 2008 New York Times Almanac.

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Your local Fine Independent Bookstore would love to show you more! Jackson Street Books yearns for the day we can sell you books once again. Stay tuned.

démocommié?????©®ç åü courant is busy trying to read all the books Sarah Palin tried to ban, in anticipation of Banned Book Week.

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http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/2008/09/department-of-book-reports-constitution_06
.html

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Are You Kidding Me, MSNBC

post from Daily Kos on 05 September 2008 10:44:00 PM. © Daily Kos

Talk about stacking the deck. This is one of MSNBC's most recent "text question" poll:

What do you feel McCain's speech accomplished the most?

A. Inspired the nation

B. Explained what motivated his presidential run

C. Outlined his policy priorities if elected

D. Positioned himself as the tough maverick for change

Notice anything missing from those options? I mean, besides the after-sex cigarette?

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/WRQnLrkN-r8/6975

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Friday Night Fights: Lies

post from TalkLeft on 05 September 2008 10:31:00 PM. © TalkLeft

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You don't win elections with one hand tied behind your back. The Democrats need to come out swinging against Sarah Palin, the unqualified, radical right choice of John McCain to occupy the nation's second most powerful leadership position. The fact that she's under investigation for abuse of power alone should be enough to disqualify her. Tell her to come back after she's been cleared and has shown she brings something other than tokenism to the job.

The Democratic strategists and pundits who think Obama should ignore Palin and stick to debating the issues are the best example of why the Democrats lost the last two elections.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is not remotely qualified for the Vice Presidency. She has zero foreign policy experience, nothing to add about health care, education, jobs, social security, the economy, terrorism, civil liberties or criminal justice. She's about to go into hiding from the media in Alaska so she can be prepped like a Stepford Wife to regurgitate the lies Republican have been peddling for the past 15 years, since Newt Gingrich's Contract On America.

The real threat to our country is the phony legitimization of an unqualified candidate plucked from obscurity. She is totally unprepared to assume the presidency if something happens to the 72 year old, frail candidate with a long history of medical issues, including four bouts with cancer, who heads up her ticket. (Yes, I know he was a P.O.W.)

Evangelicals do not yet make up the majority of voters in this country. Obama needs to look past them and strike his own brand of fear in the heart of every other voter. The evangelicals are already lost. The rest of the voting public is still up for grabs.

Every day Obama and the Democrats wait, she gets more training and another opportunity is wasted.

Ads? Forget the 3am ad, how about a 3pm ad, depicting John McCain taking his afternoon nap while Sarah Palin answers the phone and has no clue of how to respond and searches everywhere for the 1970's style rolodex telling her who to call? (There's no computer in the oval office because John McCain doesn't know how to use one.)

The best hope of beating McCain/Palin is by investigating her heretofore unexamined public life to the Nth degree. No impropriety is too small to report.

By the end of October, one will come to light that by itself, or in combination with the others, becomes the final straw that gets her out of the race, causing the implosion of the McCain campaign.

The Democrats are letting Sarah Palin turn into a runaway train.

(Big Tent Democrat positively and absolutely disassociates himself from this post.)

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/384673687/2045

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Family Values

Carla at Blue Oregon:

Sarah Palin either deliberately placed her pregnant, 17-year old daughter directly into this ridiculous media scrutiny--putting her in the position of being eaten alive by the rabid tabloid press--or she didn't know that her child was 5 months pregnant. Neither of those scenarios speaks especially well of Ms. Palin as a "family-values" candidate, in my view. All of this for a high-profile, high-power political job.

The hypocrisy of this woman being placed as the standard bearer of social conservatives is staggering. And all of us who sport a uterus are supposed to be able to relate to this woman because...so does she? We're all supposed to be blind to what's going on with her family and embrace her alleged "pro-family" policy stances because its worked out so hunky dory for them...? Seriously?

Read the whole thing.

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http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/2008/09/family-values.html

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It's "Born In The USA" All Over Again

For Your Friday Night Rockin' PleasureIf the real thing don't do the trickNo, you better make up[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OpenLeft-FrontPage/~3/384713304/showDiary.do

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